Reports in the media have parents concerned after a second toddler suffered a severe injury due to the folding hinge mechanism on a Maclaren stroller. The toddler, Cael Barton, aged 21 months, lost the tip of a finger in the tragic accident.

Gorgeous boy Cael Barton, before the accident.

When Gloria Barton purchased a stroller for $584 in May, 2011 she thought she was doing the right thing: she was purchasing a reputable brand, from a reputable store. But on 16 March this year the stroller caused an injury to her beautiful baby boy, leaving him minus the tip of one finger.

This is not the first time the faulty hinge has been the cause of exactly this kind of accident.

While no recall was issued in Australia at the time, CNP Brands and Maclaren distributors issued this warning and an offer of a complimentary Hinge Cover in an awareness campaign targeted at the public who may have purchased a stroller prior to May, 2010, after which time new prams came complete with an enclosed side hinge mechanism.

An ACCC spokesperson told Kidspot today:

“In Australia, MacLaren advertised the availability of the same hinge covers as were offered in the US when the strollers were recalled there in 2009. Although there had been no injuries reported in Australia, CNP Brands, the distributor of the strollers in Australia, conducted an awareness campaign and installed the hinge covers for owners who requested it. When the US recall was re-announced in May 2011, CNP Brands re-publicised the offer of a hinge cover in Australia in a number of parenting magazines, as well as distributing a printed safety bulletin throughout its retail partner network and posting a safety alert on MacLaren’s website. The ACCC published safety advice for owners of the Maclaren stroller on the Product Safety Recalls Australia website and sent out alerts using social media. That advice remains a hot topic on the Recalls website homepage. Additionally, the hinge covers were installed whenever strollers were being serviced.

“The ACCC monitors the effectiveness of suppliers’ actions in relation to consumer safety issues and takes appropriate measures to ensure that suppliers re-examine safety concerns when new incidents are reported. Maclaren’s awareness campaign is presently being re-examined in light of the recently reported injury of the Sydney toddler.”

Despite these comments from the ACCC, questions still remain. If CNP altered the pram in question in May 2010, why was a mother shopping in May, 2011 sold an unmodified pram that had been manufactured in 2009?

Cael Barton In Sydney Childrens’ Hospital after the Maclaren Stroller injury left him minus the tip of a finger

That’s one of the questions that’s on Gloria Barton’s mind. She’s upset and rightly so. Today she had this to say to Kidspot:

“If a company knows their product, which is used around babies everyday, has the ability to amputate babies fingers, why would they not recall it? All I can assume is this was a cost saving device or done to protect their brand at the expense of babies’ safety.

“How many more babies need to be injured, how many tiny fingers have to be amputated, for Maclaren to take proper responsibility for their mistakes and ensure this does not happen again?

“For parents to obtain the hinge cover, they are required to supply a serial number, product type, and a raft of details that many parents no longer have, particularly if the prams have been passed down or bought on eBay. Maclaren should be making the process as easy as possible if they truly care about safety.

“Our family, especially baby Cael, have been through a harrowing week and we don’t want this to happen to anyone else. We have seen our little one endure pain, distress, confusion, discomfort and inconsolable bouts of crying. We have had to accept that a small part of him has gone and will never be the same and that all of this could have been avoided if we had not been sold a faulty, dangerous Maclaren pram.”

If you are the owner of a Maclaren stroller manufactured prior to May, 2010 you can request free hinge covers at maclarenbaby.com.au or by phoning 1300 667 137.